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Denny principal leads 1st official media tour inside new school

The new Denny International Middle School is ready to go, proclaims principal Jeff Clark, just a month after presiding over the move out of the old one (where building demolition is entering its final phase). Along with project manager Robert Evans from DKA, which has overseen the entire Denny-building/Chief Sealth-renovating process, he led us on a long-awaited tour last Friday morning. Outside, banners welcome visitors (and students/staff) in multiple languages:

What’s new INSIDE – and more of what’s new outside – ahead, with 20 more photos:

Though Denny and Chief Sealth International High School are now adjacent, the promises of keeping their operations as separate as possible appear to have been kept: The design places Denny’s entrance on the north side of campus, while Sealth’s entrance remains on the south side. The main office is right by the main entrance door, with the school entrance alongside:

Throughout the school, signage will point Denny students and staff where they need to go:

For those who worked or studied at the old campus, the sight of new learning areas is bound to be a thrill – here’s one of the science rooms:

And a more-basic classroom – note the gray wall area; that’s all a type of “tackable” board for easy affixing of what needs to be put up (and easily, when needed, taken down):

There are also spaces that can be pressed into use for classes, though they won’t be regularly occupied as such:

There are other such places elsewhere on campus – this one can be an impromptu gathering place or teaching/learning area:

Here’s the library:

And a gym taking advantage – note the cut-out spaces in the walls and ceiling – of the natural light:

It has a climbing wall, too:

Over the gym, a space that resembles a fitness center – with barres for dancing/stretching types of activities:

You’ve probably seen the Sealth galleria – here’s the Denny side, over the central partition that will keep the two student bodies separate:

Look more closely around the building and you’ll see touches like these railings made from recycled wood that had been part of old Chief Sealth fixtures pre-renovation:

Various recycled materials in areas like this upstairs hall-lining bench, too:

Now back outside. Denny’s traffic will flow separately from Sealth – this driveway along the east side of the campus is part of what will facilitate that :

Also along the exterior, yet another area where classes can gather when an alternate learning space is sought – note the rain-garden plantings here, to hold water that comes off the sloped roof:

Gardening gets even more serious in this area, where you’ll find a greenhouse:

And on the northeast side of campus, a playfield and basketball courts:

While the school won’t be formally dedicated till early September, it was expressly intended to be ready right after the old one shut down in late June – and staffers are still moving in, to be more than ready before the new school year:

Photos from the construction work reveal even more detail – the district’s gallery is here.
Back over at what’s left of the old Denny, you can peer through the already-stripped facade on the west side – where the demolition equipment will be focusing efforts this week.